Battery tool



March 16 1943. G. F. coLLEY BATTERY TOOL Filed June 17, 1941 rlllllhun nI l I I I I I l Illll.

GEORGEE COLLEY Cttorneg.

Patented Mar. 16, 1943 iJNlED BATTERY TOOL George F. Colley,Winston-Salem, N. C., assgnor of two-thirds to Nat S. Poindexter,Winston- Salem, N. C.

Application June 17, 1941, Serial No. 398,426

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a combination battery tool which is soconstructed that it may be employ-ed as a pushing and pullinginstrument, as well as a carrying device.

It is a well known fact that the aci-d in ordinary storage batteriesoften causes the terminals to corrode, and thus makes it diiicult todisconnect electrical connections therefrom. 1n many cases, theseconnections comprise members such as collars clamped around suitableterminal posts, which posts are disposed near each end of the battery.When corrosion takes place between the post and the collar, a bond isformed and when removing the collar, it is usually necessary to breakthe bond created by the corrosion and lift the collar from the post. Thecorrosion around the posts has a high acid content, which is capable ofinjuring ones hand; therefore, it is very desirable that bodily contactbe avoided, as much as possible, when breaking this bond or whenhandling the battery.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a battery toolhaving elements for engaging the lower side of a terminal post collar tohold the same while other terminals are employed to push the top of thepost axially therefrom to break the bond between the collar and thepost.

It is another object of this invention to provide a battery tool of theclass described with means for holding the above-mentioned pushingelements in Ian inoperative position, so that only the holding elementswill be employed to engage portions of the battery to carry the samefrom place to place.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill. appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is an isometric View of myimproved battery tool showing the same as it appears when used as acarrier for a battery; s

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the battery tool, showing the same whenused as a means for disconnecting a conduit collar from a battery postterminal;

Figure 3 is an elevation, with certain portions thereof shown insection, looking at the right hand side of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail View taken along theline 4-4 in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a sectional detail plan view taken along the line 5-5 inFigure 4; n

Figure (i` is asectional detail plan View taken along the line E-6` inFigure 4;

Figure 'l is ra sectional detail plan View taken along the line I-'I inFigure 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral I0 denotes indot-dash lines (Figure 1) a portion of an ordinary storage battery, saidbattery having post terminals H and I2, upon which are mounted suitablecollars I4 and I5 respectively. Each of the lconduit collars are splitas at I6 so the same may be easily inserted or removed from theirrespective posts. In order to clamp the split ends of the collars uponthe post terminals, suitable bolts I6 are employed.

The battery illustrated in Figure 1 has three cells, namely I8, I9 and2S, .the cells I8 and i3 being joined by a suitable conductor or strapmember 2l and the cells i9 and 2t, in turn, being connected to eachother by a similar strap member 22. These strap members are usually madefrom suitable conductive material, whereby electrical current will bepermitted to iicw from one cell to another. In o-rder to gain access tothe interior of cells I8, I9 and 2G, suitable removable cap members 23are employed. When the caps are removed, Water, acid and chemicals areadmitted to form the necessary electrolytic solution.' As heretoforestated, the acid and chemicals within the cells often overflows,resulting in a deposit forming between the collars Iii and I5 and theirrespective posts lI and I2. When this deposit forms, the bond is muchmore secure between the members; therefore, the removal of the collarsis very much more difficult. The present invention contemplates the easyremoval of the collars from. the posts with a minimum amount of bodilycontact between the individual and the battery. Where bodily contact ismade with the battery, the chemicals and acids often prove injurious. l

In order to remove the conduit collars with a minimum of bodily Contact,I provide a battery tool, broadly designated by the reference character35, said battery tool comprising a U-shaped handle member 3i., The lowerend of the handle has slidably mounted therein a toothed rack member 3E.`Meshing with this toothed rack `is a toothed gear segment 3i which gearsegment forms an integral part of a second handle member 35. Handlemember 3,5 is pivotednintermeiate its ends as at 36 between lugs 33,extending from the Lvl-shaped handle member 3 l.

Pivoted to handle 3l, intermediate its ends upon rivet 38, are a pair ofoppositely disposed strap members 3Q and 49, said members extendingdownwardly and having inwardly and laterally projecting hookv portionsi2 and 43- integral therewith. The proximate edges of the portions 42and 43 are preferably concave so that a close t can be obtained betweenthese portions and a convex member such as terminal post I I, therebyproviding a, greater bearing area between. portions 42 and 43 and thelower face of collar I4. It is to be understood, however, that inremoving a collar I4 from the terminal post II, it is necessary for asliding movement to take place between the proximate edges of portions42 and. 43 and the post.

It will also be seen by referring to Figures 3 and 5 that the lower endsof the strapmembers are capable of a slight pivotal movement toward andaway from each other, due to the loose fit around the rivet 38. Thestrap members 39 and 40 flare outwardly from each other, as theyprogress downwardly (Figure 3). At a point intermediate the ends of thestrap members, a suitable connecting means such as plate 44 is provided,said plate having slots 45 and 46 cuttherein, into which intermediateportions of' strap members 39 and 40 respectively are adapted to t.Since the distance between the slots 45 and 46 is greater than thedistance between. the pivot points of the strap members, it is evi-ldent that as the plate member 44 is moved upwardly, the lower ends ofthe strap members 45 and 46 will spread apart from each other; where--as as the plate member is moved downwardly the lower ends of the strapmembers will move toward each other. In other words, the plate memberserves to positively spread apart, or move toward each other, the lowerends of the members 45 and 45 and at the same time hold, the free endsof the members in the desired positions.

In order to prevent the upper ends of the strap members 45 and 48 fromrotating about the longitudinal center line of rivet 38, a second collaror plate 48 is provided (Figure 7). plate has a hole 49 thereinsubstantially of the same size and shape as the outer contour of handlemember 3|. Extending from opposed lsides of the plate member 48 areprojections 5I and 52 which penetrate holes 53 and 54 in theintermediate portions of downwardly and outwardly extending strapmembers 39 and 49 respectively. Projections 5I and 52 permit the freeends of members 45 and 48 to move laterally toward and away from eachother, but prohibit any substantial rotative movement of the free endsof these members transversely to the above named lateral movement.Therefore, it is seen that the proximate ends of hook portions 42 and 43are held in opposing relation to each other at all times.

When it is desired to use the tool 30 as a means for removing collar I4from terminal post I I, it is first necessary to move the plate member44 upwardly to dotted line position, such as shown in Figure 3, therebyspreading the lower free ends of strap members 45 and 46 to dotted linepositions. Then the tool is lowered to a position where the projections42 and 43 will be disposed on opposed sides of the post Il, after whichthe plate member 44 is lowered to bold line position to cause theprojections 42 and 43 to move in close proximity to the periphery of thepost. At this time, the lower end of the rack member 32 will be disposeddirectly above the terminal post II and the laterally extending portions42 and 43 will be disposed below the collar I4. With the parts in thisposition, the handle 35 willrbe rotated from bold line to dotted lineposi- This vtion (Figure 2), thereby causing the rack 32 to be moveddownwardly while the hook members 42 and 43 engage the lower face of thecollar I4, (Figure 3). This rotation will produce relative axialmovement between the post I 2 and the collar I4, thereby breaking thebond between the two members and permitting easy removal of the collar.Figure 4 is an enlarged View illustrating the positions of the partsafter rack 32 has been moved downwardly to separate the collar I4 fromthe terminal post Il.

When it is desired to lock the rack 32 in an inoperative position, sothat only the hook members 39 and 4i) may be used, it is necessary toprovide a third handle such as designated by the reference character 56,said handle being pivoted as at 51 to the upper free end of the secondhandle 35. The free end of the handle 56 is adapted to be retractedwithin the U-shaped recess 35a of the handle 35 when it is not desiredto lock the rack 32 in an inoperative position (Figure 2). Also the freeend of this third handle has a suitable notch 58 therein, said notchbeing adapted to t over the upper edge of a hole 59 in the upper end ofhandle 3| when the third handle is rotated to a substantially horizontalposition (Figure l).

With the handle 56 in a substantially horizontal position, and with thenotch 58 engaging the lupper edge of hole 59, the handles 3l and 35 areheld in opened or separated positions, and therefore, it is impossiblefor the rack 32 to be moved downwardly or to be otherwise actuated fromhandles SI and 35. It is in this position that the tool 33 is usuallyemployed as a carrying device; however, to do so, it is necessary toconnect the lower end thereof to a portion of the battery I 0.

Usually the lower ends of members 39 and 40 are separated to dotted linepositions substantially as shown in Figure 3, and then the portions 42and 43 are placed on opposed sides of a portion 0f the battery such asstrap members 2l. The plate member 44 is then moved downwardly to lockthe opposed projecting portions 42 and 43 beneath the strap member 2|.At this time, the operator may grasp the third handle 5S to lift thebattery without any fear of the free ends of handles 3l and 35collapsing or without fear of the rack 32 being actuated.

If desired, the hole 53 may be shaped so as to fit the perimeter of abolt head or nut such as I'I, thereby providing a wrench in combinationwith other features of the battery tool.

It is therefore seen that I have provided a simple and eicientcombination battery tool which may be employed either as a carryingdevice or as a means for removing conduit collars from battery terminalposts. This device is simple in construction, low in manufacturing costsand Very easily operated.

In the drawing and specification, there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specic terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth inthe following claim.

I claim:

A battery tool for separating a conduit collar from a terminal post of abattery, comprising an elongated rod-like handle, a pair of membersloosely and pivotally secured at their upper ends to the lower portionof the handle for swinging movement towards and away from each other andhaving their lower ends extending inwardly towards each other forhooking beneath the collar, a loose p late having perforations thereinfor slidably receiving said handle and said pair of members whereby theplate can be slid downwardly on the pair of members to hold their hookedlower ends beneath the collar, a ring surrounding the handle and havingoppositely directed pins, a hole in each of said pair of members forreceiving each pin, said handle and ring being so constructed as toprevent rotation of the ring and likewise side motion of said members, aplunger slidably mounted in the handle and having a rack thereon andbeing disposed between said pair of members, a second handle having itslower end his GEORGE'F. COLLEY.

mark Witnesses to mark:

BERTIE KETNER SPILLMN, MILDRED BROWN SMITH.

